‘COVID taught us that no one is safe & universal brotherhood is the need of the hour’

Bengaluru, Feb 7(FN Agency) President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday said that the COVID pandemic has taught the world that one cannot be safe if others are at risk and therefore, universal brotherhood is the need of the hour. Delivering his address at the 23rd annual convocation of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences here, he said that though COVID-19 seems to be one-of-a-kind health-crisis that happens rarely, a section of scientists has warned us to be prepared for similar challenges ahead. The world has, let us hope, learnt the right lessons.

He said that the healthcare delivery in India is poised to undergo a change at all stages – prevention, diagnosis and treatment. No single entity in the healthcare sector can deliver results and achieve outcomes on its own. The evolution of the health sector calls for active involvement and participation of all stakeholders and the use of innovation to bridge intent and execution, he added. President Kovind said that he was glad to learn that RGUHS had trained over two lakh health care professionals, from doctors and nurses to administrators and hospital facility providers, to better respond to future outbreaks of this kind. Responding to the call of ‘Atma-Nirbhar Bharat’, a self-reliant India, our nation has not only manufactured the vaccine but has also reached out to other nations to provide the same. The largest vaccination drive in history is under way in India.

COVID-19 has inflicted agony and misery of unprecedented levels around the globe. We are proud of our doctors and paramedics who rose to the challenge, even if it meant a great risk to their own lives, he added. Among the medical students ready to graduate from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) on Sunday, women have outdone the men. About 78 percent of the 111 students who have won gold medals are women.
At the convocation, 33,629 students were awarded degrees and diplomas. Thirty students will receive their PhDs while 115 were awarded super-speciality degrees. A total of 5,834 students got PG degrees and 351 PG Diploma. Also got their degrees and diplomas are 79 students for fellowship courses, nine for certificate courses, and 27,221 for under-graduate courses. Later the President left for Andhra Pradesh to participate in the stone laying ceremony at the Ashram and the launch of the Bharat Yoga Center Yoga Center.